


Can't Stop

by noblydonedonnanoble



Series: The Road We Never Drove On [4]
Category: Doctor Who RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-06
Updated: 2012-07-06
Packaged: 2017-11-09 07:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/452644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblydonedonnanoble/pseuds/noblydonedonnanoble





	Can't Stop

                They were relaxing in David’s trailer when the conversation began. “John.”

                “David.”

                “Have you ever been attracted to someone who’s off-limits?”

                John laughed slightly. “Sorry, David, as much as I love you I’m not interested.” Just a glance at David’s face was enough to tell him that this was not the time for joking. “Yeah, of course I have. Haven’t we all?”

                “No. Or. Well. Not—“

                “Not until recently,” John attempted to finish David’s sentence, and when he received a nod, he continued. “I see. Is she someone I know?”

                David shrugged. “I think we’ll keep that information classified for now. Maybe you know her, maybe you don’t.”

                With such a response, of course, it was almost guaranteed that John knew her. But he pretended that this was not the case. “Okay. What is it that makes her off-limits? Did one of your friends date her? Did you date one of her friends?”

                “She’s with someone.”

                “That’s not _all_ that—“

                “She’s got a _kid_.”

                And John understood.

                “Oh. For how long?”

                 “A few months ago, maybe? It developed so slowly I couldn’t even say for sure. She just… she got under my skin, and now I can’t stop thinking about her.”

                “Have you told her?”

                David laughed darkly. “Are you joking? I wouldn’t do something like that.”

                “Why not? Maybe you’d get a good shag out of it.”

                His tone was teasing, but David didn’t find the statement very amusing. “Jesus Christ, she’s not—“

                “It was a joke! Okay, I’ll stop. In all seriousness, why won’t you tell me who she is? Maybe I can give you some actual advice.”

                “I don’t know…” David looked rather wary. “You might make another snarky comment.”

                John threw his hands in the air. “No snarky comments. Now spit it out; you wouldn’t have brought it up if you didn’t want to tell me.”

                For nearly thirty seconds, David stayed silent. John was patient, just watching him and waiting. Finally… “Catherine.”

                There was a sudden clattering outside that made David and John both jump. “What the hell was that?” John asked, slightly alarmed.

                “Oh, probably the squirrels. For the past week they’ve been going through the bins outside every damn day. Apparently I eat food that’s very appetizing for squirrels.”

                “Funny. Now seriously. Tell me who this chick is.”

                David gave him a look, raised his eyebrows. “Wait. Are you serious? Catherine?” A nod. “That’s… Okay.”

                “Do you have nothing else to say besides ‘Okay’?”

                “I don’t… I don’t know what to say, David.”

                “You’re telling me that nothing comes to mind. When Catherine’s name came out of my mouth you had no gut reaction.”

                “Well…”

                David gestured at him. “Go on, say it.”

                “I… I’m not really surprised. The way you look at her, the way you joke with her. It doesn’t surprise me. But…”

                “But?”

                John shrugged. “It’s hard to read Catherine. So I don’t really know anything for sure. But… Watching you two, if I had to guess that one of you was even vaguely interested in the other, I’d say it would be Catherine who wants you.”

                His eyes widened slightly. “You what?”

                “Don’t take my word for anything, Jesus! And don’t take that as encouragement. I’m not encouraging you. Like you said—she’s got someone else. She’s got a daughter. Don’t put yourself into a mess, David.”

                “I’ll just… I’ll just stay away from her. If I stay away, that will help.”

                “Yes, maybe it will.”

                Even as David said that, he didn’t believe it.

 

                When this conversation began, Catherine was sitting in her own trailer, bored out of her mind. She’d started her break wanting peace and quiet, but had gotten fairly tired of it. She wanted to _do something_ , or talk to _someone_.

                She knew David had taken John back to his trailer, and thought it might be fun to chat with the two of them for a while. So after a few monotonous seconds during which she stared off into space, she decided to exert the necessary effort to cross the lot.

                The door to David’s trailer was open, but she was still about to knock on the outside of it when she heard John say, “Is she someone I know?”

                David was talking to John about a woman? She almost wanted to interrupt, maybe tease David a little bit.

                “I think we’ll keep that information classified for now. Maybe you know her, maybe you don’t.”

                Hearing him be so evasive to John, though, made her change her mind even as her fist was nearing the wall. She thought perhaps it would be a good idea to walk away; if anyone came by, it would be hard for her to explain why she was standing outside David’s trailer.

                But she was curious.

                “Okay. What is it that makes her off-limits? Did one of your friends date her? Did you date one of her friends?”

                “She’s with someone.”

                “That’s not _all_ that—“

                “She’s got a _kid_.”

                Dear God. Who was he talking about?

                The thought occurred to Catherine, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she was with someone. That she had a kid. But she snatched that thought and threw it as far away as possible because of course David didn’t have feelings for her.

                “Oh. For how long?”

                 “A few months ago, maybe? It developed so slowly I couldn’t even say for sure. She just… she got under my skin, and now I can’t stop thinking about her.”

                “Have you told her?”

                “Are you joking? I wouldn’t do something like that.” Yes. Catherine knew he was a better guy than that, to complicate things with a woman who was off-limits.

                “Why not? Maybe you’d get a good shag out of it.” John’s response, even though it was clearly a joke, made Catherine grit her teeth together.

                “Jesus Christ, she’s not—“

                Good. David was defending her.

                “It was a joke! Okay, I’ll stop. In all seriousness, why won’t you tell me who she is? Maybe I can give you some actual advice.”

                “I don’t know… You might make another snarky comment.”

                Catherine couldn’t help but smile at that; David sounded so sweet and embarrassed.

                “No snarky comments. Now spit it out; you wouldn’t have brought it up if you didn’t want to tell me.”

                There was a long pause. So long she was beginning to wonder if David had done something else to communicate to John who he apparently couldn’t stop thinking about. But then she heard it. “Catherine.”

                She actually fell backward, her hands flailing around trying to find something, anything, to grab a hold on. They found the trash bin sitting right near David’s trailer, and she held on to it for dear life. It didn’t do much—she ended up just bringing the lid down with her. It took all of her self-control to not shout out every expletive imaginable.

                From inside, she heard David and John react.

                “What the hell was that?”

                “Oh, probably the squirrels. For the past week they’ve been going through the bins outside every damn day. Apparently I eat food that’s very appetizing for squirrels.”

                David was making a joke. And she wanted to laugh at the joke, but if she laughed they would hear him. Besides which she was in severe pain. Stifling a groan, she stood up, gently placing the lid back on the trash bin and rubbing her shoulder where she’d fallen strangely.

                “Funny. Now seriously. Tell me who this chick is.” There was some more silence. “Wait. Are you serious? Catherine? That’s… Okay.”

                He was serious. How was he serious. There was no fucking way David was serious.

                “Do you have nothing else to say besides ‘Okay’?”

                “I don’t… I don’t know what to say, David.”

                Good. So Catherine wasn’t the only person who had been knocked speechless (although John, perhaps less literally).

                “You’re telling me that nothing comes to mind. When Catherine’s name came out of my mouth you had no gut reaction.”

                “Well…”

                Well?

                Jesus, what was John going to say?

                “Go on, say it.”

                “Yes John,” Catherine murmured, unable to help herself. “Say it.”

                “I… I’m not really surprised. The way you look at her, the way you joke with her. It doesn’t surprise me. But…”

                “But?”

                 “It’s hard to read Catherine. So I don’t really know anything for sure. But… Watching you two, if I had to guess that one of you was even vaguely interested in the other, I’d say it would be Catherine who wants you.”

                Fucking hell. What was he even talking about?

                She couldn’t listen to any more. She retreated to her trailer and spent every last second up to when they had to come back to set all alone.

 

                When they came back from the break, things between Catherine and David were clearly off. They had to film multiple takes just because the Donna and Doctor exchanges seemed so different, almost strained. David could feel it, could see Catherine struggling somehow, but he didn’t want to ask her about it.

                At dinner, every time he tried to speak with her, she gave him very concise answers; she wasn’t _ignoring_ him, but she never engaged him in conversations. She responded to his questions, but didn’t leave it open for anything extended.

                David took his chance when she went up to refill her drink, and followed her. “Catherine, is everything alright? You’re acting… bizarre.”

                There was so much concern showing in his face, and seeing it nearly ripped her apart. “Of course everything’s alright, David.” She smiled at him. “You must be imagining things.”

                Clearly he wasn’t just imagining things. Catherine began to flat-out avoid David, just talking with John, Freema, Lis…  Anybody, really, as long as it wasn’t David. In response to this, he reverted to goofing off with Billie. It almost was as if they were filming series two together again, and being with Billie truly made David really happy. They laughed and joked together, just like old times.

                Catherine couldn’t help it if she regarded the two of them with far more concern than was probably necessary.

 

                Fairly quickly, he got tired of Catherine avoiding him. Two days later, when she went back to her trailer during a break, he followed her.

                She didn’t know that he was coming, so when he barged in she was entirely unprepared. “Are you incapable of knocking?”

                “I’m sorry, you’ve been avoiding me so much I wasn’t sure you’d let me in.”

                “Are you still on about that? We’re fine, David. I’m not avoiding you—I’m just trying to bond with the rest of the cast.”

                “Bull shit.” David closed the door behind him, clicked the lock into place. “You need to tell me what’s going on. Something happened. You’re my best friend, Catherine. I can tell when something is wrong. You’re spending all your time with John.”

                “And you’re spending all your time with Billie, so why are you complaining?”

                “Because every time I do so little as come into a room, you get jumpy.”

                She laughed a bit, but it sounded forced. “You’re just imagining things. We talked about this.”

                “No. You told me that it was all in my head and just brushed me off. Because there’s something you’re not telling me. So come on, Catherine. Tell me.”

                He stood in front of Catherine, looking sternly down at her where she was perched on her couch. She could continue to deny it. But she didn’t want to. “I’m just following some precautionary measures. Trying to stop something before it can get out of hand.”

                “What? I don’t understand.”

                She hesitated for a moment. “I can’t have you feeling that way about me. I’ve got Twig, I’ve got Erin… It’s just… It’s not right.”

                “God damn it, did John tell you?” David immediately altered his stance. He looked nervous. And he had reason to be. Catherine felt suddenly sympathetic toward him.

                “No. I overheard you. It… it scared me.”

                “Scared you?” He frowned slightly and took a few steps toward her. Not enough to spook her, but enough that it was clear he was fighting every urge to sit down beside her and give her a hug. Because that’s what he would have done, as her best friend. That’s what she wouldn’t have even questioned just days before.

                Now, though, she had plenty of reason to question. So he kept his distance, and she appreciated it. But for the sake of leveling the ground a bit, she stood. “Yes. I love our friendship. But I need you to get over me. Because I want things to stay the same between us.”

                “I like how things are between us.”

                “That’s good.” Catherine smiled at him slightly as he stepped forward again. “Because I have someone and you really—“

                And then he was kissing her, pulling her close to him.

                She wrenched herself away within seconds, gasping and choking. “What are you doing? I thought you said you like how things are.”

                “Like, not love.”

                His eyebrows were raised and she had to swallow before attempting to continue. “I have someone—“

                There his mouth was again, on hers. She felt his tongue pressing against her lips, and she opened to him without even thinking about it. He only had a few moments to taste her—and he loved the taste of her—before she began to regain her senses and stepped back once more.

                “God. David. Stop. This… it’s not...” Catherine held her hands up in front of her, a meager attempt to shield herself from him. She couldn’t think straight; he was looking at her like he wanted to devour her, and she was beginning to feel like that might be okay. “I mean… me… and you…”

                David got bored with her stumbling over words. He grabbed her hands, holding them both tight, and used his grip on them to pull her against him once more. This time, he wasted no time with his kissing as he began to nibble and suck his way down her neck. Catherine was doing her best to suppress any noises, but when he suddenly turned them and pushed her against a table, she let out a loud gasp as she arched in to him.

                “What am I, Catherine?” He murmured the words against her clavicle, and honestly he only half-expected an answer.

                “You…” She stifled another gasp as he breathed down her shirt, as his lips—and more importantly, his _tongue_ —began to follow that same trail downward. “You’re dangerous.”

                Dangerous. David liked being dangerous.


End file.
